Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

This being the last day of 2008, you'll need a new calendar, starting tomorrow. There are a bunch of interesting bike-theme calendars available, in addition to the usual not-all-that-interesting bike-theme calendars produced by mainstream publishers.

This is the Smart Cycle, made by Fisher-Price, purveyor of fine plastic to children around the world. While riding a real bike outside is leaps and bounds better than riding just about anything inside while staring at a video screen, this thing deserves at least a nod. Ideally, the first thing a kid would learn would be the "rules of the road," but how likely is that? Not very: the Smart Cycle appears to have applications for learning the standard "three Rs," but none geared toward traffic safety. What an oversight! Also, I could do without the Dora, Diego, SpongeBob, Barbie, et al. tie-ins. I guess I'll have to start coding myself...

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

On Monday the Montgomery County Gazette wrote about a study indicating chronic time and cost overruns on major Montgomery County (Maryland) road projects. Gee wiz, we have a culture of slack. Now, I'm no stranger to slack, but I'm haven't sought responsibility for civic infrastructure. Hey-Zeus!

The first line suggests that the study itself is behind schedule. It would be funny if it wasn't sad.

Montgomery County has moved slowly on a study that showed county road projects often cost more and take years longer to complete than their initial estimates.

The County Council's Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment Committee followed up Monday on a Feb. 5 report from the county's Office of Legislative Oversight that studied 14 county road projects. The report showed that studies before the projects were undertaken often proved too optimistic on costs and how long the projects would take to complete.

"People want to protect their turf, they want to make sure their project is not elbowed out," said committee chairwoman Nancy M. Floreen (D-At large) of Garrett Park.

The February study of 14 county road projects showed that the average cost was 54 percent higher than initial estimates.

In addition, the initial estimates predicted an average of 4.7 years to complete the project — from initial study, design, land acquisition and permitting. Instead, the projects took on average 7.5 years to complete.

The county is continuing to look at why projects take longer and cost more than the initial estimates, said Aron Trombka, senior legislative analyst with the Office of Legislative Oversight, but significant changes in the capital improvement project process have not been made yet.

No single factor explains why the costs rise or delays occur, Trombka said. Costs increased, in part, due to inflation and variables in market conditions, as well as the unknowns involved when land has to be acquired or utilities have to be relocated, he said.

The county's Department of Transportation bases project estimates on the costs of materials such as asphalt and concrete over the past one to three years and then projects how much the materials will cost about halfway through the project, he said.

The project estimates also are based on similar past projects, using the best available information, Trombka said.

When they are their fault, contractors are issued penalties of $50 to $1,000 per day for delays under some construction contracts, said Department of Transportation division chief Bruce Johnston.

The county is looking at adding incentives for earlier completion of construction projects, he said, adding that incentives have been used at times to minimize road closings, but can carry their own risks.

"The bridge that collapsed in Minnesota had an incentive contract," Johnston said.

The county's performance in projecting costs and the completion schedule is "pretty typical" for counties nationwide, he said.

"Most of our projects come in within 5 to 10 percent of the estimated costs," Johnston said.

But not the projects in the study, apparently. And the bridge didn't collapse because it was built under an incentive contract. The Gazette Story is here.

Monday, December 8, 2008

Okay Obama, nicely done. You're on the right track and we're behind you. But don't forget to be smart. Americans love to say, "We're number one!" Well, news flash: America's transit programs are THE WORST IN THE DEVELOPED WORLD, and many so-called "developing nations" have bus and rail programs that put us to shame (and the only SUV's on the road are olive drab, if you know what I mean). Bust a move, my friend:

Thursday, December 4, 2008

The Overhead Wire has a nice post linked back to this bit on the Heritage Foundation's website. I couldn't say anything other than, "Holy mackerel, this guy is nuts." Then for a few minutes I got really scared that people would believe this stuff; then I noticed TOW's dismissal of this as fearful ranting. To paraphrase:

Breath easy, they're so far off on a starboard tack and no one's with them - we've got the tiller now, and we're on a broad reach to BRT and lightrail!

But really, shouldn't we still be afraid? The guy who wrote this has a PhD, for goodness sake - people are going to believe him. Remember:

I admit, I'm afraid of junk science. I'm afraid that our populus will be misled and screwed over, again. Why am I afraid? Rob Reich hit it on the head last night:

...the future competitiveness and standard of living of America depend on our peoples' skills, their capacities to communicate and solve problems, and innovate -- not their ability to borrow money.

It's our human capital that's in short supply. And without adequate public funding, the supply will shrink further. I'm not saying funding is everything, but without it we can't attract talented people into teaching, keep classrooms small and give our kids a well-rounded curriculum, and ensure that every qualified young person can go to college.

So why are we bailing out Wall Street and not our nation's public schools and colleges? Partly because the crisis in financial capital is immediate while our human capital crisis is unfolding gradually. But maybe it's also because we don't have a central banker for America's human capital -- someone who warns us as loudly as Ben Bernanke did a few months ago of dire consequences if we don't come up with the dough.

I assume someone is doing the math on this. We should be able to calulate the future earning potential of Americans, and the value of human capital and human capital investment, based on census and immigration fugures, life expectency, and educational and workplace data. How much economic engine-cranking ability will we have in 2010, and in 2020? Who is doing this research? How can I help? Shoot, how much do we have now? So our strategy amounts to asking folks who are down on their luck to spend more money? When was the last time you tried pulling yourself up by your bootstraps? How did it go?

AND

The same math should work for transportation planning and investment. Not perfectly, but well enough. If we're going to recapitalize, lets put the money where it will be most effective.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

In September 2007, the European Space Agency (ESA) released an image of the polar ice cap. The ice covers the smallest area since it was first measured in 1978. The ice-covered area has dropped to about 3 million square kilometers (1.16 million square miles), a million less than a previous low in 2006 - a dramatic change. Take a look at the 2005, 2006, and 2007 images in sequence. Troubling, right? Well, here's what they had to say last month:

Highway Trust Fund Revenue Falls $3 Billion in Single Year as Americans Drove Almost 11 Billion Fewer Miles This September

Eleven-Month Decline in U.S. Driving Shows Need for New Way to Finance America's Road, Bridge and Transit Projects

WASHINGTON -- The Highway Trust Fund, the federal government's primary source for financing highway, bridge and transit projects, took in $3 billion fewer in Fiscal Year 2008 as Americans drove 90 billion miles less over 11 months of the same fiscal year, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters announced today. The trend underscores the need to find a new way to finance transportation projects in America, she added.

[...]

"Our current approach has us encouraging Americans to change their driving habits and burn less fuel while secretly hoping they drive more so we can finance new bridges, repair interstates and expand transit systems," said Secretary Peters. "We need a new approach that compliments, instead of contradicts, our energy policies and infrastructure needs."

[...]

The Secretary noted that, if VMT continues to decline, the Highway Trust Fund may experience another shortfall sooner than expected. For this reason, she again urged Congress to fundamentally change the nation's approach to financing and managing transportation systems.

It has a nice comparison of "typical cyclists" and Sentai (Japanese for super heros, aka Power Rangers). This reminds me of a crude but brilliant animated piece from a few years back with the three alien bicyclists riding through the city. Now I can't find it, a little help?

Friday, November 14, 2008

Here's a new longtail on the scene, and it's got a funny name. Madsen calls it "kg271." I assume that's a reference to its cargo cpacity--but that's a sizable load (almost 600 pounds)--so don't go trying it 'cause I said so, because I did not say so.

Hi-tensile steel frame.

8-speed Sram X5 drive parts.

One size, they say, fits 5'-0" to 6'-6". This troubles me a bit, but I'm only looking at a picture. If you give it a try, let me know how it goes.

The "bucket" version has a bench seat with two seatbelts, and bet it's more fun than a barrel of monkeys with two little ones in there. It holds 40 gallons. Of what? Up to you. The rack on the rack-clad version looks pretty stout, and the six equally-spaced horizontal elements suggest a great deal of flexibility. Not quite modular, but I love that word, so I wrote it down. I could see this thing carrying a couple of bike on roof-rack style trays; or a couple of passengers; but what excites me most is the potential for a Grill Bike. Imagine slow cooking some short ribs on a 400k brevet: "No, no more banana and peanut-butter for me. Thanks though."

Since I really shouldn't buy anything for myself, I thought I'd write down a few things that I've been coveting lately. I capped the list at 20, so you people don't think of me as materialistic. Besides the fact that I'd like to have and enjoy these things, I'd like other folks to have and enjoy them too, because I think they're terrific things, as far as things go. Here they are, in no particular order:

Over-simplified? Yes. On the right track? Yes. I think this is a pretty good primer on globalization, stringing together a lot of important concepts. I often get overwhelmed trying to keep it all in my head, trying to remember how it all fits together. Besides, I’m a proud member of the Society for the Restatement of the Obvious.

Just had a new thought (rare for me): it took us a little while to construct the tangle that we’re in, so its probably unrealistic to think we can untangle ourselves quickly and easily. Of course, it’s hard to sell that to the peeps. Going the right direction will involve slow and hard going, that’s not a good enough reason to continue going the wrong direction. Not really a new thought, I guess.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

In October, Councilmember Jim Graham, chair of the DC Council's Public Works and Environment Committee, introduced Bill 17-981, the Bicycle Safety Enhancement Act of 2008. The recommendations contained in the bill are the result of discussions that followed a crash that casused the death of a bicyclist in DC earlier this year. After the tragedy, WABA developed a list of recommendations to help better protect cyclists from heavy vehicles. Many of WABA's recommendations are contained in the bill.

The Bicycle Safety Enhancement Act includes the following:

A requirement that blind spot mirrors be installed on all DC owned heavy duty vehicles

A new law requiring that motorists give three feet of space when passing cyclists

A fine for the use of restricted lanes (bus/bike lanes and bike lanes) by unauthorized vehicles

What You Can Do to Help:

WABA urges you to contact the DC Council to express your support for the Bicycle Safety Enhancement Act. We have provided a sample letter for you to send to the Council, but please remember that personal messages are much more effective.

A hearing on the legislation has been scheduled for Friday, November 14th at 2pm. If you'd like to testify in person at the Council hearing, please contact Maria Angelica Puig-Monsen at 202-724-8195 or mpuigmonsen@dccouncil.us TODAY.

Written statements of support for the bill can also be sent to Ms. Puig-Monsen via email.

Say thank you and congratulations to the WABA folks for all their hard work.

...The Human-Powered Home is a one-of-a-kind compendium of human-powered
devices gathered from a unique collection of experts. Enthusiasts point to the
advantages of human power:

Portable and available on-demand

Close connection to the process or product offers more control

Improved health and fitness

The satisfaction of being able to make do with what is available

This book discusses the science and history of human power and examines the common elements of human-powered devices. It offers plans for making specific
devices, grouped by area of use, and features dozens of individuals who share
technical details and photos of their inventions.
For those who want to apply their own ingenuity, or for those who have never heard of human-powered machines, this book is a fine reference. For those who are beginning to understand the importance of a life of reduced dependency on fossil fuels, this book could be a catalyst for change.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Little of the land around us (where I live, anyhow) is public property, so I get insensed when it gets infringed upon. Even more than bicycle accessability, pedestrian accessability is crucial for a functional civil society.

Therefore, I recommend that any and all pedestrians who encounter unsafe conditions make fevent conplaints to relevent State or municipal agencies. If you live in Montgomery County, MD, here's the information you need to do so:

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Take another sip and pass the Kool-aid over this way - I BELIEVE again.

Finally, I'm proud to a citizen of this nation.

The Lamest Duck:

Not to damp anyone's spirits, but let's all bid Mr. Bush goodbye. I said it before, but I'll say it again, only GWB could make race and gender non-issues in the United States. I guess we have one think for which we can thank him. Then again, it is a pleasure to say that race had nothing to do with this decision - this was a choice made on an intellectual, emotional, spiritual, and of course, practical basis, and the clear best candidate won. Free at last.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

None of the campaign material from the presidential elections I have witnessed as an adult (1988 - 2004) has prominently featured the image of the candidate. That is, until this year when Barack Obama's image became the focal point of numerous posters, buttons, etc. And not underground material--the official stuff. It's interesting and surely not coincidental that Barack Obama is also the first Black candidate nominated by either of the two principle political parties in the US. Issues of race in the US are so complicated I can barely begin to understand how and why this happened.

Unfortunate PS: as I hunted the web for the images here, I came across a literally ungodly number of horrible and disturbing altered photos of B.O. Let's all rise up... all one or none.

Monday, November 3, 2008

It's made in the USA by a small company call Efficient Velo Tools (EVT). The company asks consumers to support independently owned local bike shops, so contact yours and ask for the Safe-Zone Mirror, from EVT. The suggested retail price is $40. If your local dealer is not friendly about ordering one, you can order direct from the company for $40 each, postage paid. They say "Satisfaction Guaranteed," and I'm pretty sure they mean it.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

The moral consideration due plant, as presented below in the article from the WSJ, is not as silly as I initially thought. A bit of quiet time spent in the presence of any mature tree is typically enough to remind me that any living thing can have dignity, and even some non-living things too. I'll stop before I start to wax Star Wars theology (the movies, not the Regan-era defense debacle).

ZURICH -- For years, Swiss scientists have blithely created genetically modified rice, corn and apples. But did they ever stop to consider just how humiliating such experiments may be to plants? That's a question they must now ask. Last spring, this small Alpine nation began mandating that geneticists conduct their research without trampling on a plant's dignity.
"Unfortunately, we have to take it seriously," Beat Keller, a molecular biologist at the University of Zurich. "It's one more constraint on doing genetic research." Dr. Keller recently sought government permission to do a field trial of genetically modified wheat that has been bred to resist a fungus. He first had to debate the finer points of plant dignity with university ethicists. Then, in a written application to the government, he tried to explain why the planned trial wouldn't "disturb the vital functions or lifestyle" of the plants. He eventually got the green light.

The rule, based on a constitutional amendment, came into being after the Swiss Parliament asked a panel of philosophers, lawyers, geneticists and theologians to establish the meaning of flora's dignity.

"We couldn't start laughing and tell the government we're not going to do anything about it," says Markus Schefer, a member of the ethics panel and a professor of law at the University of Basel. "The constitution requires it."

In April, the team published a 22-page treatise on "the moral consideration of plants for their own sake." It stated that vegetation has an inherent value and that it is immoral to arbitrarily harm plants by, say, "decapitation of wildflowers at the roadside without rational reason."

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

You don't need chainring spacers. Your chainline is perfect. However, let's
pretend, just for a second, that you have this... friend whose chainline
isn't quite right. If your friend puts a set of these between ring and
spider, they can move their ring a little, hopefully enough to shift it into the
plane of the cog and correct the misalignment that's bothering you, ahem, them... Sets of five.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Friday, September 12, 2008

I've always said that one of my favorite things about bikes is their wild diversity. Someone else noticed this too. Here's their post:

It's how you use it

Wouldn't life be boring if all bikes looked the same?
As a retailer, the thing I really like about catering to bike commuters here in Chicago, is the diversity of bikes they use for that purpose. There are probably as many types of commuter bikes as there are bike commuters...

I've got a lot of monkey DNA. So do you, I'll bet. We're in good company, too:

There's Monkeyjump, with it's practical Manifesto. It hasn't been updated in while, I think, but the pathos, ethos, and logos still stand up just fine.

We've got the Stokemonkey and the Big Dummy, both now in production, that will carry us safely into the twenty-first century. The Stokemonkey is clearly a pure breed, coming by way of the Cleverchimp, and while the Big Dummy is not explicitly monkey, its uncle, Karate Monkey, reveals a clear connection.

And we have MonkeyElectric, who have made some LED lights that we knew would come along eventually, and are really excited about. A good monkey has got to be seen.

If you've been monkeying around, engaging in, or just know about monkey business, be sure to let us know. Maybe we should have a monkey-mass.